New York, March 12 (IANS) Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters staged a rally and march in New York City in protest of the Donald Trump administration’s policies on the Middle East, campus protests and immigration.
Protesters on Tuesday took to the streets and marched to the City Hall in Lower Manhattan from Washington Park in the afternoon, with a dozen of them detained by the police, Xinhua news agency reported.
Last Friday, the Trump administration canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University in New York City on anti-Semitic grounds and opened a review of more universities.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student, was arrested on Saturday in his university dormitory by staff members from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Khalil, a permanent resident of the United States, was instrumental in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University that began in April 2024. Khalil’s wife, a US citizen who is eight months pregnant, also received threats from the ICE, according to Khalil’s attorney.
These moves by the Trump administration have sparked a new wave of pro-Palestine protests in New York City.
“This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” said Trump in a post on social media on Monday.
During the march, many protesters waved Palestinian flags and banners reading “Free Mahmoud Khalil.”
“This is anti-First Amendment. Also, the university is helping ICE arrest its students, and that’s wrong and unacceptable,” said Ruby Martin, a protester.
Martin said she was particularly concerned that Columbia University allowed ICE on campus property to arrest students. She will also take part in another march demanding Khalil’s release on Tuesday night.
“The University has been involved in this mess for a long time. It’s time to stop,” said Katherine Wilson, an adjunct professor at two universities in New York. She carried a sign reading “Faculty Against Fascism” at the march.
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), 12 people were arrested as participants of the march reached City Hall.
A hearing against Khalil, who could face deportation, is scheduled for Wednesday.
–IANS
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